Strands is the New York Times' word-search with a twist, and the twist is that the puzzle tells you almost nothing. You get a 6-by-8 grid of letters and a theme phrase like "Comes to light". Hidden in the grid are a handful of theme words and one spangram — a word or phrase that describes the theme and stretches from one side of the board to the opposite side. Every letter on the board belongs to exactly one word. There is no word list, no count, and no colour feedback until you find something.
Today's board is solved on the Strands answer today page; the Strands hint today page gives you the theme's meaning, the spangram's shape, and first letters, each behind its own reveal. This page explains the machine underneath — how the board is constructed, why the spangram matters more than any single word, and how to earn hints without wasting them.
How a Strands board is built
Forty-eight letters, arranged so that the spangram and the theme words tile the whole grid with no letter left over. Words snake in any direction — up, down, diagonal, and doubling back — but never cross themselves and never share a letter with another word. The spangram must touch two opposite edges (left-to-right or top-to-bottom). Theme words are typically five to nine letters; the spangram is usually eight to fourteen and can be two words.
Because every letter is used, the board is a partition, and that has a practical consequence: once you've found the spangram, the remaining letters split into disconnected regions, and each region is one or more theme words. Finding the spangram first is not just satisfying — it makes the rest of the board smaller.
Reading the theme before you find anything
The theme phrase is a riddle, and the Times' editors write it in a small number of registers. Recognising the register tells you what kind of words to look for.
Literal category: "Things in a toolbox" — theme words are members; the spangram is the category itself or a synonym.
Punning phrase: "Comes to light" — the theme words are synonyms or examples of the pun's hidden meaning (here, verbs for emerging), and the spangram is a phrase that explains the pun.
Fill-in-the-blank: "___ ball" or "Say what?" — each theme word completes or matches a pattern; the spangram names the pattern.
Rebus or letter trick: rarer; the theme describes how the words are built ("Backwards thinking" for reversed words).
When the theme is a pun, the biggest mistake is searching for the literal meaning. "Comes to light" is not about lamps.
The hint system, and how not to waste it
Strands is the only Times game that pays you for finding *wrong* words. Every three non-theme words of four or more letters you find earn one hint. A hint highlights the letters of one theme word — you still have to trace it in order. Three more non-theme words earn another hint, and so on.
Two things follow. First, if you're stuck, hunting short common words (a lot of boards hide TEAR, RATE, STAR in the corners) is a legitimate strategy — it's how the game intends you to get unstuck. Second, use hints on words you can't see, not on the spangram: the hint system never highlights the spangram, so it's always down to you.
A worked board: 'Comes to light'
Strands #1,100 ran with the theme Comes to light. The register is a pun: not lamps, but *emerging*. So the theme words are verbs of appearing, and the spangram should be the phrase that names the idea — and it is: COMETOLIGHT itself, eleven letters, which must run edge to edge.
Edge scan: the left column has a C near the top and the right column a T near the middle — a plausible horizontal path for COMETOLIGHT, winding through the centre. Trace it loosely: C-O-M-E across the top rows, then T-O-L-I-G-H-T dropping and returning. It fits. Lock it. The board is now split into an upper-left pocket of about nine letters and a lower region of about twenty-eight.
The pocket resolves to one word of the right length: EMERGE? Count the letters: E, M, E, R, G, E — six, and they're there. Lock. The lower region gives ARISE, SURFACE, MANIFEST, MATERIALIZE — the last is eleven letters and takes most of the bottom rows. Five theme words plus the spangram: forty-eight letters, board clear, no hints used.
Two things to notice. The spangram was the theme phrase verbatim, which is common when the theme is a pun. And the pocket created by the spangram contained exactly one word — that's typical, and it's why spangram-first is the fastest method.
The hint economy
Three non-theme words earn one hint. Since a hint reveals a whole theme word, the question is whether finding three throwaway words is faster than finding the theme word yourself. Early in a board, no — the throwaways are scattered and you're better off theme-hunting. Late in a board, yes: when two words remain and the letters are a jumble, the remaining letters often form several short common words, and three of them come quickly.
The trap is spending hints on the spangram. The hint system never highlights it; if you tap Hint hoping for the long word, you get a short theme word you probably would have found anyway. Save hints for the moment you genuinely can't see a word, and go after the spangram with the edge scan.
A method that finds the spangram first
Because the spangram must touch two opposite edges, start by scanning the edges. Look for letter runs on the left and right columns that could begin or end a word related to the theme. Then look for the theme's key noun — if the theme is "Comes to light", the spangram is probably COMETOLIGHT itself or a close paraphrase, and its letters have to be strung edge-to-edge. Trace it loosely with your eye before committing.
If the edges give nothing, find one obvious theme word (there's usually a plain one), lock it, and see which side of the board it leaves open. The spangram lives in the largest remaining connected region.
Once the spangram is in, the board falls apart into pockets. Solve the smallest pocket first — it usually contains exactly one word, and the letters that remain tell you its length.
Why the puzzle number matters for searching
Strands #1 ran on 4 March 2024, and every puzzle since has a sequential number that appears in share results. People search by number as often as by date ("Strands 1100"), which is why every HintSheet Strands page shows both and the archive is browsable either way.
Theme registers, with examples
The theme phrase's register tells you what kind of words to hunt. Examples from boards that have run.
| Register | Example theme | Theme words looked like | Spangram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literal category | Things in a toolbox | HAMMER, WRENCH, PLIERS | TOOLKIT |
| Punning phrase | Comes to light | ARISE, EMERGE, SURFACE | COMETOLIGHT |
| Fill-in-the-blank | ___ ball | FOOT, BASE, SNOW | BALLGAMES |
| Homophone | Sounds fishy | BASS, SOLE, PERCH (as puns) | FISHYWORDS |
| Hidden mechanism | Backwards thinking | words entered in reverse | REVERSEIT |
How the boards are constructed
Knowing the constructor's constraints helps you find words. The board is always 6 wide and 8 tall. Theme words are placed first, snaking through adjacent cells including diagonals, never crossing themselves; the spangram is then threaded through the remaining cells so that it touches two opposite edges. Every letter is used — there are no filler letters — so the count of unused letters at any moment equals the total length of the words you haven't found. Words are never shorter than four letters. Letters can be revisited across words but never within one. The constructors avoid placing two theme words so that they could be swapped, which is why the solution is unique.
Two consequences: if you have found all but one word, the leftover letters *are* that word, in some snaking order; and the spangram, being the longest, usually occupies the middle rows, which is where to look when the edges are ambiguous.
Reader questions
"Why did a real word not count?" Only theme words and the spangram count toward finishing; other words earn hints.
"Can theme words be plural?" Yes, if the board's construction uses them.
"Is there a Strands solver here?" No — the hint page stages the theme, the spangram's shape and first letters instead.
Glossary
Terms as used on this site.
- Spangram — the theme-describing word spanning two opposite edges.
- Theme word — a word belonging to the theme; highlighted blue when found.
- Non-theme word — any other valid word of four or more letters; three earn a hint.
- Board — the 6×8 grid.
- Pocket — HintSheet's term for the region the spangram cuts off.
A weekly rhythm
Strands' weekend boards use the punning and hidden-mechanism registers more often and place the spangram diagonally, which is harder to spot on an edge scan. Weekday boards favour literal categories with a horizontal or vertical spangram. If a Saturday board's edges give nothing, look for the spangram running corner-to-corner through the middle rows before you spend hints.
Frequently asked questions
What is a spangram?
The one word or phrase on a Strands board that describes the theme and stretches between two opposite sides of the grid. It's highlighted in yellow when found.
How many theme words are there?
It varies by board — usually five to eight, plus the spangram. Every letter on the board is used by exactly one word.
How do Strands hints work?
Find three non-theme words of four or more letters to earn one hint. The hint highlights the letters of a theme word; you still trace it yourself.
Can theme words cross each other?
No. Words never share a letter and never cross themselves, though they can bend in any direction including diagonals.
What time does Strands reset?
Midnight Eastern time.
Does the spangram count as a theme word?
It's counted separately. You need every theme word and the spangram to finish the board.
Why can't I find the last word?
Look at which letters are left — they form the word exactly, so count them and check the theme. The hint page lists first letters if you want a nudge.
Do I lose anything by using hints?
No score penalty. The share card shows how many hints you used, so purists avoid them.
Can the spangram be two words?
Yes — it's often a phrase (COME TO LIGHT). It's written without spaces on the board.
Recent Strands answers
- Sep 2, 2026 · #1100 — Theme: “All will be revealed” · 5 words + spangram
- Sep 1, 2026 · #1099 — Theme: “Called by your calling” · 5 words + spangram
Browse the full Strands archive or go back to today's puzzle answers across every game on HintSheet.